Stolen Velociraptor Returned After Two Years
In a story that just might have a bit more Jurassic bark than bite, a Texas law firm has finally been reunited with their unofficial replica dinosaur, which had been missing since it was stolen nearly two years ago. In Decemeber 2022, Rosie the Velociraptor, a longtime staple at the Waco, Texas offices of the Callahan and King Law Firm, was seen on camera being removed from the property by several people before vanishing into the night. Following a 22-month search for their believed dino-decor, Robert Callahan, a lawyer and partner at Callahan and King, can finally rest easy knowing that Rosie is back home safe and sound.
At about three feet tall with a bright, almost Barney the Dinosaur-like pink body, Rosie isn’t exactly as imposing as the ferocious predator it is modeled after…
Rosie the Velociraptor is pretty hard to miss when you pass by the offices of the Callahan and King Law Firm, which is exactly why the mini-dino has been the unofficial mascot for the law firm since it first opened its doors in 2013.
According to Callahan, the dino-napping case involving Rosie the Velociraptor came as a complete surprise to the law firm, but they have reason to believe that the theft was the work of a possible inside job.
At about three feet tall with a bright, almost Barney the Dinosaur-like pink body, Rosie isn’t exactly as imposing as the ferocious predator it is modeled after, but its row of sharp teeth can certainly be interpreted as the law firm’s desire to take a bite out of legal injustices in the Waco area. However, on one December night in 2022, a group of individuals decided that Rosie was no longer the right fit for the law firm, lifting the metallic dinosaur from its resting place and running off with it.
According to Callahan, the dino-napping case involving Rosie the Velociraptor came as a complete surprise to the law firm, but they have reason to believe that the theft was the work of a possible inside job. When asked about who could have been responsible for the heist of their beloved mascot, Callahan was careful to explain the situation.
“We were pretty certain that we knew who did it, but it also involved someone who had a previous relationship with the office, and we decided that we didn’t want to sour that relationship, and we decided not to file a report,” Callahan told KWTX.
The Waco Police Department recovered Rosie the Velociraptor from the apartment complex with full cooperation from the student, who was unaware of Rosie’s storied past.
News of a stolen dinosaur isn’t exactly an everyday occurrence, but the story of how Rosie the Velociraptor eventually made its circuitous way back home is perhaps just as bizarre as the heist itself. According to Waco police, a student at Baylor University happened across the dinosaur while browsing through a nearby garage sale, purchasing Rosie in an effort to add some flair to their apartment complex, not knowing that Rosie was stolen property.
On September 18, a passerby noticed the pink dinosaur in front of the student’s apartment complex and filed a police report when they connected the dots to the previous theft at the Callahan and King Law Firm.
Following a brief investigation, the Waco Police Department recovered Rosie the Velociraptor from the apartment complex with full cooperation from the student, who was unaware of Rosie’s storied past.
With Rosie now back home at the Callahan and King Law Firm, Callahan says that he is just thankful for the people of Waco who helped make Rosie’s homecoming possible. We thank the community for being involved in 2022 and helping us look, and of course, the officers and people that were involved this year in recovering her,” Callahan says.
Since Rosie the Velociraptor was returned safe and sound and without incident, there is currently no indication that police will be required to further investigate the theft or how the dinosaur found its way to a neighborhood garage sale without raising suspicion.
For now, it appears that everything has been neatly raptor-ed up.
Source: KWTX
